Bodmin Moor Weekend December 2015

Well it's typical bank holiday weekend weather outside so I guess I'm going to have to go back to the archives. But this is an ideal opportunity to give you an insight into one of our weekend breaks. This one is from Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. The premise is we look for somewhere that has lots of nice walks nearby and book a couple of nights in a local, dog friendly B&B. The place we booked was called Mennabroom. It is a B&B but also has several holiday cottages attached. There is so much walking within a few minutes drive and even straight out of the door without driving.

Traditional decoration.

The accommodation is of the traditional type. Floral curtains, fireplaces and pictures of fox hunting. But the bathroom facilities were very modern and the shower was good. The also did a full gluten free English breakfast which was great. The hosts were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble. All their dog friendly rooms had gone but they still allowed Chuck to stay but who wouldn't want him there? Our only issue was actually finding the place. Our sat-nav sent us down several wrong turns which it assumed were roads but were actually dirt tracks. Also the postcode given takes you to a farm on the other side of a valley.

A Bodmin Bovine Menagerie.

The day we arrived we did a short walk across the countryside and walked across the edge of the moor. It was a grey moist day but this added an air of mystery to the place. It never actually rained. The fields here are of the ancient stone wall type. This land has not changed in centuries it appears. We walked onto the edge of the moor where we were met by a menagerie of different bovines. Some with shaggy hair, some with long horns. They all seemed fairly placid at least.

A misty vista.

Our second day was walking across Bodmin Moor. This really is one of the prettiest places in England. It was once a hub of mining activity. There are abandoned wheel houses all over the moor. The main tourist destination is Minions. No not the annoying yellow things that people seem mildly obsessed with, this is a village in the centre of the moor. We did check out some accommodation here when we booked but nothing really appealed. There are some spectacular views available on the moor. The more ground you can cover the better really as it is quite a varied landscape. There is plenty of free parking dotted around all over place.

Minions is at the heart of Bodmin Moor.

The third day we did a loop from straight out of the B&B. The roads are quiet around here so Chuck was fine off the lead. Just be aware there tend to be sheep hiding in some bushes so keep your dog near if they are a chaser. My original route plan was unfortunately not feasible as the ground I intended to cross was far too swampy to walk in. But a bit of adjustment was made and we went in the opposite direction. We wandered through a small village at one point which was totally abandoned. It was creepy to say the least. Especially with all the twisted trees on the Moor.

On the rocks.

Our evenings were spent in the nearby pub on the A30. It's called the Jamaica Inn. It's a borderline theme pub, with the theme being pirates I think. It was quite gimmicky. It was popular though. The car park is enormous. Inside it's a little grubby and the feeding is slightly canteen style. Still the staff were friendly and Chuck was allowed inside. It's also the only place for miles around so there's very little choice.

Into the sunset

These little getaways really are a great way of filling a long weekend. It's very cheap but still feels like you've been on a mini holiday. It's easy to do. Just find an area on the map that has lot's of walking, plan a couple of routes and book a B&B. It's sometimes an idea to look whats on offer in the way of accommodation and then plan around that. Hotel sites always seem to have some sort of offer on for last minute deals. There is something exciting about going on a very spur of the moment trip. Let us know about your weekend break experiences in the comments. 

15th May 2016 Dunkery Hill

Having not been walking together for some time, due to injury and absence, we decided it was high time we went out as a family group. Today’s walk started from the small village of Timberscombe and took in Wooton Courtenay, Webber’s Post and Dunkery Hill. It was quite a trek, there being a definite need to shake out the cobwebs. We deliberately had no pub stop planned as we were overdue a few days of temperance.

The route was approximately 12.5 miles and very hilly. We went anti-clockwise.

We parked next to the green in Timberscombe. There was plenty of space to park and there didn't appear to be any specified parking in the village. So once again it was free. We set off along a public footpath which lead over a winding stream and across some lamb filled green pastures. In the beaming sunshine, the surrounding hills presented a quintessentially English country vista.

The rolling hills.

Yet more stereotypical Englandry was on show in Wooton Courtenay. If Disney made an image of the perfect English village this would be it. The only thing missing was a cricket pitch in the middle. Little thatch cottages, small brooks babbling and climbing flowers, it was picture book stuff. A little way up the road the path went across a field, through a hedge and past the aforementioned missing cricket pitch. Stereotype complete.

Picture book cottages.

We walked through a field with an electric fence running through the middle which had kindly been wrapped in a thin layer of electrical tape. Not trusting the insulating qualities of said tape, we cautiously crossed the wire. I have been zapped by a fence before. It hurts, big time. We carried on up a steep hill and walked onto the moor. The path gets a little confusing as it passes through a small wood but is obvious once you have gone the correct way.

The sea poking through the end of the valley.

This is a steady climb of around two miles. As the path climbs, a view of the sea rolls into view between the crests of the valley ahead. At the top is Webber’s Post, a small National Trust car park with a very nice view of Dunkery Hill and its surroundings. We stopped here for lunch. If you did want to park and walk from here it costs just a pound. It’s a cracking picnic spot.

Our view whilst eating lunch.

The next leg took us through the deep valley we had overlooked during lunch. It was a steep climb down to a pretty clearing with a bridge crossing a stream. The climb out the other side was also very steep and at the top we were again treated to some fantastic coastal views. We broke track onto the road where we greeted by pack of about five spaniels belonging to a B&B there. We let Chuck off the lead as dogs seem to interact much better this way. Much chasing ensued and fun was had by all.

Obligatory photo at the top of Dunkery Beacon.

The road wound down into another valley and to yet another stream. The large amount of water was a godsend to Chuck who was finding the warm weather quite tough. He is in the process of ditching his winter coat on our carpet. We climbed up a track through a twisty wood and back onto the moor. After a very long climb we reached the top of Dunkery Hill, the highest point on our walk at 519m.

Dog cooling system.

Time was cracking on and we were still a long way from the car. We took a few obligatory victory photos and carried on down the hill. The route took us across some pretty pasture land dotted with generic prickly moor bush, (latin: bushus pricklius bastard) and into a river valley. There were still more climbs though and more fantastic scenery. The last few miles were done on road but even this had pleasant views along a high sided valley.

The road back to the car. 

We made a judgement call that it was too late to cook so we decided we’d eat out. There were plenty of signs advertising the pub in Timberscombe. However, when we arrived eager for scran we were greeted with for sale signs and boarded up windows. So on the way back we stopped in at Rest and Be Thankful Inn for tea. But that’s for another post. This was probably one of my favourite walks that I have done on Exmoor. There are so many changes of scenery, admittedly it was because it was a long walk but even so there was lots of variation, all beautiful and spectacular. Even splitting this down into two shorter walks would be well worth it. Let us know in the comments below what your favourite local walk is.

The London Inn, Molland

Time for another pub review I think. Just to set the scene I have now been to The London Inn twice. The first time just Chuck and me, the second time was to drag Bea along so she could see how good it is. We are planning on staying here overnight now so we can go for an evening meal.

Is this a sign?

It certainly doesn't look like much from outside. In fact the first time I got there I was disappointed as I thought it had shut down. The sign looks quite old and there wasn't much sign of life. On closer inspection however I realised it was open. Inside it is a completely different story.

Easy to walk straight past. The door is under the wicker veranda.

It's a beautiful Exmoor hunting style pub. Low ceilings yet surprisingly large inside. There is a mish mash of vintage decor that works very well. It's quite dark but certainly isn't dingy. There is a very well stocked bar. It also stocks Wicked Wolf Gin which is currently exclusive to the Exmoor area. I had to try one but in all honesty it wasn't really my cup of tea. It was very citrusy. 

Who is Capt. Agro?

On the second trip we had food too. Whilst it certainly wasn't cheap it was out of this world tasty. I had a 'bar snack' of a ploughman's, which was about £9. When it came however it was basically a beef roast with some chips and garnish! It was brilliant. There were all other sorts of chutneys and bread and stuff that should come with it but I don't eat that stuff so I asked for chips.

Gin, Cider and other drinks too.

The drinks were reasonably priced. I recall it was £3.65 for a Thatchers but don't quote me on that. The gins were expensive but that's gin. Chuck was made to feel very welcome despite laying in the main gangway. The pub owners have a German Shepherd too but he doesn't go in the pub as he's loopy apparently.

Just some of the available scran. Not cheap but very good.

This pub is an ideal place to use as a halfway point if you park at the top of West Anstey Common. It's a great walk down through the woods then back across the fields. It's about two hours to do the round plus however long you spend in the pub. I'd allow at least five hours and get a taxi home. Let us know in the comments if you've been.

30th April 2016 Portland

Apologies for not writing last week but I've been busy. Bea is away in Holland right now so I'm a single doggy parent for two weeks. This week's walk came about because I was going to see Noel Gallagher in Bournemouth. I thought rather than putting Chuck in a kennel for the weekend I could take him with me and he could just stay somewhere overnight whilst I went to see the gig. I had a look where we could go walking on the way and spotted Portland.

We walked anticlockwise. Distance with wrong turns was about 12 miles.

I remembered an animation from my childhood called Portland Bill and assumed it would be an idyllic old fashioned island. I bought the local map online but unfortunately it did not arrive on time. This was an inauspicious beginning and should have been seen as a portent. I printed off a makeshift map from Google and thought 'how hard can it be walking round an island? Just keep the sea on the same side at all times'.

Chuck can find a stick anywhere.

The car parks on Portland are fairly reasonable at £6.50 for the whole day. I, however, found there was plenty of free parking on the industrial estate just off the roundabout as you get onto the island. Yes you have to walk a little bit further but isn't that what I'm doing anyway? We parked in the car park of a sixth form college as there were no signs saying I couldn't. First impressions were not that great. The town of Fortuneswell is of the 1960s concrete council house variety. Not the pretty little fishing village I expected. The beach was a huge mound of pebbles which was unpleasant to walk on.

Cliffs are not safe for free running dogs.

As we climbed steeply out of the town something else reared it's head that I hadn't taken into account. The cliffs round the island were very high. Far too high to let Chuck run off the lead. As good a boy as he is, it's difficult to explain to dog what 'high up' and 'fall off' mean. At the top of the first cliff there is an old quarry that features some sculptures. Well, that's how it's billed. Really it's just a pile of rocks. Not much to see apart from litter, of which there was plenty.

The quarry. As interesting as it gets.

I decided to walk down the road into the next town as it was quite windy on top of the cliff. We passed another industrial estate which smelled like CS gas, the stuff used in riot control. There was a cool old fashioned cemetery which I imagine would look quite creepy at night. But this was the highlight. We passed the outskirts of Easton, which seems to be the primary town on the island. Again this was another concrete jungle. A paeon to when Britain was a communist country and no patch of land was sacred enough to escape the concrete pourers.

The creepy cemetery. May feature ghoulies after dark.

Portland really was turning out to be a great disappointment. With another industrial estate looming up ahead I seriously considered just turning around and heading back to the car. However, the clouds began to part and in the distance I could see a lighthouse, the aforementioned portland Bill. So on we cracked. 

Beautiful little fishing village?

Judging from the car park it appears most visitors drive straight to this end of the island. The lighthouse is quite impressive and the land is much closer to sea level down here. Chuck finally got off the lead, much to his relief. I had some cheesy chips from the cafe which were quite expensive at £3.95 but were reasonably generous. There really wasn't a great deal to see or do down here, so we set off back along the east side towards the car.

Portland Bill lighthouse. What folk come to see.

Thankfully the concrete had not found this side of the island and as the sun started to beat down it reminded me a lot of Cyprus with grass. There were some impressive rock formations carved out by the sea, which was a deep azure blue. It was heavenly. It really was chalk and cheese compared with the other side. Dotted along the rocks are various rusty old cranes which remarkably are still used to lower boats into the sea. The path ascended back onto the road and we passed through the village of Southwell which was more like the pretty fishing village I had been expecting. 

Load test certificate? Er, I forgot it.

Back on the cliff path we came down to a secluded beach where some people were sea kayaking. I imagine this must be a fantastic way to see the island. There are plenty of caves to explore in the rocks. Be aware there is quite a tricky descent to the beach just after the viewpoint at Cheyne Wears car park. Grippy boots are a must. After the beach there is a steep climb back up to Rufus Castle. This is more of a tower than a castle but it gives the area quite a mediterranean feel in the sunlight.

A good way to get about.

We followed a path back into Easton which is also far nicer on the east side than the west. We stopped in a pub called The Punchbowl Inn. It was a good basic local boozer. Everyone in there seemed to know each other and the jukebox was blasting out some 70s rock classics. Everybody loved Chuck of course.

Castle Rufus. Used to be bigger.

The next part of the walk took us around the young offenders institute. This stoic building lends a Gibraltan air to proceedings. The cliff path here was sign posted down a steep cliff. We got all the way to the bottom and met some people coming the other way who told me that it was dead end. Great. So back up the cliff we went. We carried along the road a bit where we saw a 'Coast Path Diversion' sign. I find diversion signs are best place before the diversion. Is it just me?

Looking back over where we didn't need to go.

The next feature of the walk was an impressive Victorian fort. Unfortunately, as we were nearly back at Fortuneswell again it was strewn with litter and graffiti. This was a real shame. This could be made into a tourist attraction with a bit of effort. I'm sure there is a wealth of history here. 

Victorian fort. 21st century graffiti and litter.

As we dropped back down towards the car I couldn't help but think what a shame the 60s town planners happened to Portland. There are so many thriving, pretty towns on the south coast, this place could be a mediterranean type retreat an hour from the capital. Instead it was dumped on by socialists in the name of progress. Go to Portland and spend your tourist pounds there. It deserves better. Just stick to the east side and ignore all the litter.